Safe and Sound
by singyourheartout287
Summary: Blaine left his parents house and never looked back, but now he's homeless and living out of his car. He'd been resigned to his life until he joined glee club and started getting to know its members. There's one boy, Kurt, who seems interesting enough, but Blaine can't go there. Not now, when his life is so complicated. Still, Kurt seems nice, and just being friends is okay, right?


Things could be worse. Blaine always told himself that, because sometimes it was the only thing that kept him going. It didn't negate that things were bad now-he wasn't in denial-but it kept him going. Things could be worse.

He took a swig from the plastic water bottle to rinse his mouth after brushing his teeth and spit into the dirt. Weekends were the worst, because he couldn't use the school facilities like he did on weekdays.

When Blaine left, his parents cut his tuition funding for Dalton, so Blaine was forced to re-enroll himself at a public school. He drove a couple hours away to be out of his parents' reach and enrolled in McKinley High. He figured that if he joined a lot of clubs and activities, he'd 1) be able to make a lot of friends so he wouldn't be so lonely and sad and 2) be able to stay late enough to take a full shower and brush his teeth and shave in peace without being questioned.

It sounded like a pretty good plan on paper, but in reality, no one wanted to be around the weird new kid who transferred in the middle of October and jumped at every noise and touch. Blaine was sure he looked like a crazy person in the halls-especially with the constant slamming of locker doors and running into people's shoulders-but he couldn't help it. And he thought joining the clubs would help, but it didn't. It just made him the weird transfer kid who joined _everything_ mid-semester.

Still. Things could be worse. They could always be worse.

Blaine rubbed a hand over his scruff. On the weekends he was always scruffy. There was no way around it. He wouldn't be able to shave until Monday evening, either, so he was always scruffy on Mondays. Another thing that made people uneasy about him.

The only people that seemed vaguely welcoming were the kids he was in glee club with. They were all so preoccupied with their own problems and drama though, from what Blaine could tell, that none of them really paid him any attention at all.

Except one boy. Kurt. He didn't really talk or sing much, but sometimes Blaine caught him staring in his direction, and then a blush would rise to Kurt's cheeks and he'd glance away. It was kind of adorable, really.

Blaine shook his head and forced himself not to think about that. His life was too complicated to get involved with anyone like that. He just wanted friends, that's all. People whose houses he could go over to for dinner so he wouldn't miss that meal every day. God, it _sucked _to only eat breakfast and lunch every day. Blaine could see in the mirrors in the locker room that he'd lost a significant amount of weight since he left, but at least most of his bruises had faded now. He supposed he'd never be wholly satisfied with his physique and that was okay.

He still had a little bit of money to sustain him on weekends as far as food went, but it was nearing the end of November, so he'd had to use a good portion of that money to buy a blanket to keep warm while he slept at night.

After pulling out his wallet and counting the remaining money, (fourteen dollars and thirty-seven cents), Blaine crawled into the backseat of his car and laid down, curling under the blanket. Even with the blanket, though, he had to wear a couple shirts and a jacket and sweatpants and a pair of socks to try and keep warm. It didn't always work, not anymore. Not when snow had been falling for a week now.

Blaine shut his eyes and pretended it hadn't just started snowing and that he wasn't starving and freezing and parked behind a gas station and sleeping in his backseat. He pretended he was safe and warm in a hotel room, snug under several blankets, spread out on a big mattress, plenty of food stocked in the mini-fridge.

He sighed and burrowed further into the blanket. Things could be worse.

... ... ...

Everyone looked at him as he walked into school on Monday. They always did, because of the scruff, and the greasy hair, and the general dishevelment from the weekend. He did his best to ignore them, heading down the hall to his locker. Some girl whispered as he passed, "He looks homeless," and Blaine couldn't help but smile and shake his head as he walked. She had no idea how right she was.

Mondays always went by the slowest because the whole day, Blaine was just counting down until he could get to the showers. He felt _disgusting _after having spent the whole weekend in his car without a way to clean himself. Especially since some Fridays he didn't get a chance to shower because the janitors locked up the locker rooms early.

Thankfully, when he walked into glee club at the end of the day, no one seemed to even notice he'd arrived.

Except Kurt. Kurt always noticed him.

Blaine ignored that and sat on the opposite side of the room at the top corner, away from everyone else.

"Alright, everyone," Mr. Schuester said, clapping his hands as he strode into the room. "New week, new assignment! As Rachel so helpfully pointed out to me on Friday afternoon, we haven't done our duets week yet! So, this week, I'll be pairing you guys off to do duets."

Blaine sighed and watched as Rachel made heart eyes at Finn. He wasn't sure if they were currently dating or not, but there was definitely history there, he could tell. And he really didn't appreciate being forced to do a duet assignment just because Rachel wanted an excuse to sing with Finn, even if Mr. Schue was the one giving out assignments.

He ended up pulling their names out of a hat, and when Mr. Schue got to Kurt, Blaine's heart raced.

"Kurt will be paired with...Mercedes!"

Blaine deflated, and then mentally smacked himself for caring in the first place. He couldn't care about someone else right now. He needed to focus on caring for himself.

He watched Kurt smile over at Mercedes and do some hand gesture with her, but when Kurt sat back up again, he looked over at Blaine.

Blaine immediately looked away.

"Finn! Your partner is going to be...Blaine!"

"But Mr. Schue that's not fair!" Rachel said, standing up and crossing her arms.

Blaine frowned and rolled his eyes.

"Rachel, the hat makes the decisions, not me."

Rachel huffed and sat back down, turning to glare at Blaine. Then Finn turned around to look at him too, but Finn gave him a sort of a half-smile, so Blaine figured this might not be so bad after all.

When they were dismissed for the day, Finn came up to him. "Hey, so, since we're paired, we should probably start practicing."

"Right," Blaine said.

Finn stuck his hand out. "Oh, I'm Finn, by the way."

"I'm Blaine," Blaine said, shaking it. "So, did you want to practice here or at your house?"

"My house would probably be easier," Finn said, and Blaine thanked God that Finn hadn't caught on that Blaine hadn't offered his own house as an option.

"Alright, that sounds good. When did you have time? I know you're on the football team."

"Yeah, uh, maybe we could exchange phone numbers and we can figure it out later tonight?"

Blaine fidgeted. "I, um… I don't have a phone."

"At all?" Finn asked, frowning.

Blaine shook his head. "No."

"Oh. Okay. Well, um, I guess you can just come over tonight around eight, if that works for you?"

"I can do that," Blaine said. It's not like he had anywhere else to go.

Finn nodded. "Okay, I'll text you my—uh, I'll write down my address for you." He pulled out a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote it with a pencil, holding it out to Blaine. "So, um, I'll see you tonight then."

"Sure."

"Cool."

Yeah, this wouldn't be so bad.

… … …

Blaine arrived at Finn's house that night a little early. He'd snuck into the locker room and taken a shower and shaved during the football team's practice and slipped out before anyone had time to notice he was there in the first place. Because he was so quick—(he usually waited until the football team was done to shower and didn't leave the school 'til long after dark)—he didn't know what to do with his time. He had light to do homework, but there wasn't much of it. All he had to do with his time was homework so he was always really far ahead in classes.

So, he ended up at Finn's house just a little too early. Still, he didn't think Finn would mind, so he went up to the door and knocked.

A tall, intimidating man in a baseball cap answered the door. "Are you Blaine?"

"Yes sir."

"Come on in."

Well, that was easy, Blaine thought. He stepped inside and waited by the door until the man gestured into the living room.

"You can come have a seat. Finn's just upstairs. I'll go get him for you."

"Thanks, Mr. Hudson."

"Not Hudson. Hummel. I'm Finn's step-dad."

"Oh. Sorry, Mr. Hummel."

"No need to apologize. Let me get Finn."

Blaine nodded and sat on the couch. Hummel. The name sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure where he'd know it from.

Finn came stomping down the stairs and rushed into the doorway. "Hey, dude. You can come upstairs to my room with me."

"Okay."

Blaine stood and followed Finn up the stairs, taking a left and going into the first door on the left side of the hallway. It was messy, but knowing what little he did of Finn, that wasn't a surprise. He hovered awkwardly in the doorway while Finn sat on his unmade bed, pulling his laptop onto the bed and staring intently at the screen. He glanced up after a moment, seeming to remember Blaine was there.

"Uh, you can sit on my desk chair if you want. You can just throw those clothes on the floor. They're dirty, I think."

Blaine went ahead and put the clothes on the floor then settled on the desk chair. "So, um, did you already have a song in mind?"

"I'm looking through my iTunes right now. My music taste is kinda really specific, though, so is something classic rock okay?"

"That's fine," Blaine said, shrugging. "It's up to you."

"Cool, okay." Finn continued staring at his computer screen for a while, presumably scrolling through his song selection. After a long, awkward silence, he glanced up again. "You're not gonna make a move on me, right?"

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"It's just, the last time I did a duet with a dude, it was Kurt, and he was, like, super in love with me back then. So he kinda hit on me? I don't know. It was weird. You're not gonna do that, though, right?"

"No. I'm not."

"But you are gay, aren't you? I'm not stereotyping or whatever, so don't get offended, _please. _I've done enough gay offending in this house. I just kinda thought you were. I dunno."

Blaine cracked a smile. "Yeah, Finn. I'm gay. Don't worry, I'm not offended. I'm also not going to hit on you, though. No offense to you, but you're really not my type."

Finn grinned. "Alright. Cool. I just wanted to check."

They sat in quiet again until Finn started throwing song suggestions on the table. Blaine agreed to all of them, but Finn insisted on continuing to look, just in case. Eventually, they settled on "You Shook Me All Night Long" after Blaine _swore _they weren't going to be singing it to each other.

"Sorry, dude, I'm just really paranoid," Finn said.

Blaine shrugged. "It's cool. Well, now that we've picked the song, I guess we should practice."

The door across the hall opened. Blaine turned around to see Kurt standing in the doorway, sweatpants hung low on his hips exposing a strip of skin between the waistband of his underwear and his sweater, and _god _Blaine could see Kurt's _underwear. _It was just barely, but it was enough.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Um. Hi."

"Hey."

"I didn't realize you were here," Kurt said, touching a hand to his messy hair. The side of his face was red and had creases, and Blaine could tell he'd just woken up from a nap.

"I didn't realize you live here."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yeah, Finn's mom married my dad, so—"

"Right, yeah. Makes sense now."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Finn cleared his throat behind them, making Blaine jump and turn back to him. "So, did you still want to practice, or…?"

Blaine smiled. "Yeah, uh, sorry." He glanced back at Kurt and gave a little wave. Kurt waved back, giving him a sort of half-smile before going down the hall and presumably downstairs.

"You totally like him," Finn said, grinning.

Blaine ducked his head and shook it, trying to hide his smile. "No I don't. I don't even really know him."

"Dude, it's cool. I can tell you like him. He's my brother, he's cool. I mean, he was weird before, but he's cool now, so."

"Right."

"I can totally hook you up with him if you want."

"No!" Blaine looked up. "No, um, that's okay. I'm not really looking to get involved with anyone right now."

"Why not? Do you already have a boyfriend? Because I gotta tell you, dude, I've been cheated on and it sucks. Then again, I've also been the one cheating, so…"

Blaine frowned. "No, I don't have a boyfriend. I'm just not…looking. Right now."

"You were looking at Kurt."

"Not like that."

"You totally were."

Blaine sighed and shook his head, looking away.

"What's your deal, anyway?" Finn asked, tilting his head.

"My deal?"

"Yeah. Like, you transferred in the middle of the semester and no one really knows anything about you. Usually people figure it out in, like, a week. But no one knows anything about you. Are you in that witness protection plan thing? You don't have to say so, I know that's like private or whatever, just blink twice for yes and once for no."

"Um, I'm not in the witness protection program," Blaine said. His armpits felt uncomfortable with sweat and he knew if Finn continued this conversation he'd have to leave just to avoid it. He couldn't risk anyone finding out what his deal really was.

"Okay, so then what is it? Did your parents move for a job or something?"

Blaine nearly sighed in relief. Talking to Finn was so easy. "Yeah. My dad got a new job here so we had to pick up in the middle of the school year and move."

"Dude, that blows."

"Yeah."

"But, hey, the glee kids can be really cool sometimes if you let them. You should try to hang out with them more. I'm sure they'd like to be friends with you, if you're lonely. Especially Kurt."

That hadn't been the case so far, but Finn seemed genuine, so Blaine smiled. "Thanks, Finn."

"And, you know, we can totally be friends. I kind of already consider you a friend. When we finish with this assignment we should still hang out. You like to play video games, right?"

"Yes, yeah. Definitely," Blaine said, lighting up. God, it'd been so long since he'd done anything fun. "Yeah, I love them."

"Awesome! You should totally join our _Halo _tournaments, dude. And _Call of Duty._"

"I'd love that."

"Cool! Okay. We usually order, like, ten pizzas and just sit in front of the TV and shove our faces until six in the morning playing video games. Then we just pass out. It's kind of an all-weekend thing. We were gonna do one this weekend, actually. You in?"

Guaranteed food and shelter and private bathroom?

"Definitely," Blaine said.

"Awesome."

After that, they actually did practice the song for a little while. They ran through it a couple times at first just to see who was comfortable singing what parts and which ones they wanted to do for solo verses and which they'd sing together. It was fun. Blaine liked being able to hang out with someone. He'd gone so long with no socializing outside of school—if he could even call that socializing. It was refreshing. He almost didn't want to leave.

But he didn't want to overstay his welcome, either. Not when it could jeopardize future opportunities to spend time here and have his meal and shelter guaranteed. So, after a while, Blaine said he had to be getting home and headed downstairs.

"Are you leaving?"

Blaine turned to see Kurt lounging on the couch, hair falling onto his forehead and sketchpad on his lap.

"Um, yeah. Finn and I just finished practicing our duet."

"Oh. Okay."

"We're practicing again tomorrow," Blaine told him. "And he invited me over this weekend for a video game tournament. Will you… Will you be here?"

Kurt smiled. "Yeah. I'll be here. I've never been one for video games, but I could give it a try."

The words made Blaine's stomach flop. Kurt was willing to try something he didn't like just to spend time with Blaine. They didn't even know each other that well, not really, but this meant Kurt was willing to try.

Blaine ducked his head, trying to hide the blush he was sure had appeared on his cheeks. "Um, okay. That would be—yeah. Cool."

"You sound like Finn," Kurt said, laughing.

Blaine laughed too. "Yeah, I guess I do." He met Kurt's eyes and held them. They stared at each other for a moment, smiling, before Blaine looked away. "Um, so, I should be getting—gone. I should, uh, go. I mean. So, I'm just gonna…"

Kurt laughed again, and Blaine found that he _loved _the sound of it. "Okay. I'll see you later, Blaine."

"Later, Kurt."

Blaine mentally berated himself the whole walk to his car for being so tongue-tied and making a fool of himself in front of Kurt. He wanted to make a good impression, wanted Kurt to like him, wanted them to be friends, to be more—

Then Blaine got into his car and reality slapped him in the face. He didn't know where to go tonight. He tried to always park somewhere different for sleep to keep criminals away, to not seem settled and vulnerable. And he remembered that he couldn't want Kurt to like him or be more than friends because his life was too complicated and chaotic as it was. There was no way he would be able to take on a boyfriend right now.

Resigned to his life, he started his car and drove off, aimlessly driving around until he reached a parking lot for a playground. He parked towards the back, partially hidden by trees, and sighed to himself. He climbed into the back and changed clothes in the cramped backseat, banging his elbow on the console and his head against the ceiling at least half a dozen times. That was an everyday thing, though. He threw his dirty clothes over the backseat and into the trunk then climbed under his covers. The cold was already starting to get to him.

No. He couldn't get negative now. He'd been optimistic about his situation so far and he couldn't let that change now, not because of a boy.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep, repeating over and over again in his mind: _Things could be worse. Things could be worse. Things could be worse. _

… … …

The next day at school was a little easier. Blaine was clean and clean-shaven, and despite the cold realization of his reality the night before, it was still nice to have friends now. Or at least the start of friends. As he walked down the hall, both Finn and Kurt smiled at him as he passed. It was a good feeling.

Then, in glee club, the second Blaine walked in the door Finn called him over.

"Hey, dude, over here!"

Blaine took slow steps over to the group of guys from glee. "Um, yeah?"

"I was just telling them you're gonna join our tournament this weekend," Finn said.

"Oh. Okay."

Artie stuck out his hand and smiled at him. "I'm Artie. You're Blaine, right?"

Blaine smiled and shook his hand. "Yeah."

They all went around and introduced themselves, even though Blaine knew all their names already. He paid attention even when everyone else ignored him. Sam, Puck, Artie, and Mike all seemed harmless though, so Blaine tried to withhold judgment.

Kurt walked into the room, then, and joined their group. "Hey boys. Have room for one more?"

They all frowned. "Really? You want to play?" Puck asked.

"Why not?"

"I just never thought you were into video games," Finn said, shrugging. "I would've invited you before if I thought you were. I mean usually you tell us all how dumb we are for playing them and say we should be ashamed that we don't do something more productive with our free time and—"

"Okay, Finn, that's enough!" Kurt said, face reddening. Blaine smiled. "I just want to try it, okay? Just let me join your tournament."

"Dude, you can totally join, but have you ever played before?"

Kurt looked around the circle, and Blaine could tell he didn't want to sound inept, but at the same time he couldn't lie, either. These guys would know.

"Not a lot," Kurt answered slowly. "But Blaine is going to teach me. He said he'd help me after you two practice for glee tonight. Right, Blaine?"

Blaine paused. "Um—yeah. Yeah, totally. I was gonna help, since Kurt said he wanted to join."

"See? I'll be ready."

The group looked between them and shrugged.

"Alright," Artie said. "As long as you're prepared to get your ass kicked."

Puck scoffed. "Please, wheels. We all know I'm the reigning champion."

"In what world?" Mike laughed. "I won last tournament."

Kurt tugged on Blaine's sleeve and pulled him aside. "Hey, so, I know I kind of sprung that on you, but it's okay, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Blaine nodded. "I'll help you. Though, I'm kind of out of practice. I haven't played in months."

"That's okay. You'll be much better than me, I'm sure."

"We'll see about that."

"Are you sure it's okay with your parents? Should you text them or something first?"

"Oh, uh, I don't have a phone," Blaine said, looking away. "But I'm sure they're fine with it. They'll just be happy I'm finally making friends." He tried to laugh like he was a joke, but it fell flat. Both of them knew it was true.

Kurt offered a small smile. "Well, I know you definitely have Finn and me. The guys will love you after this weekend, I'm sure, and you can join in on a sleepover with me and the girls soon, if you want. The glee club can be kind of cool, if you let it. The kids are all really over-dramatic and caught up in their own crap, but they can be really welcoming and loving, too."

"Thanks, Kurt," Blaine said, smiling back. "I really appreciate that."

Maybe Blaine didn't have a family or a home anymore, but maybe he could have something close to it with this glee club. Maybe signing up wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe things could be better, but they could be worse, too, and for the first time in a long time, it seemed like things were finally going to start looking up for Blaine.

… … …

After rehearsal that evening with Finn, Blaine headed downstairs and almost fainted on the stairwell from the smells coming from the kitchen. He forced himself to stand up straight and continue down to find Kurt on the couch.

"Hey," he said.

Kurt looked up from his sketchpad and smiled. "Hey. Carole's making dinner and it's just about ready, so I figured we could eat and then start with the video games after?"

"Yeah, that, um—that sounds good."

"She's making spaghetti, I think. Is that okay?"

Blaine almost fainted again. "That's wonderful."

Carole came in the room, then, smiling just as kindly as she had the day before when Blaine met her. "Dinner's about ready, boys. Kurt, would you mind getting Finn?"

"Of course."

Kurt disappeared upstairs, leaving Blaine standing awkwardly in the living room archway.

"I didn't even think to ask if it was okay with your parents if you stayed for dinner, Blaine. It is okay with them, right?"

Blaine forced a smile. "Yeah, it's fine. They're just happy I'm making friends."

The same lie he'd fed to just about everyone, but it seemed to work. Everyone just smiled sympathetically and dropped the subject.

"Would you mind helping me set the table?"

Blaine's stomach flipped. He'd only been over here twice and he was already being treated like part of the family. He'd never been part of a family in his life.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Blaine said, smiling.

He grabbed the plates and silverware from where Carole directed him and set them out at the table for everyone, then set out some glasses filled with water. Kurt and Finn came down as he was finishing up.

Finn groaned. "Mom, you made Blaine set the table?"

"I did not make him! He agreed!"

"Sorry, dude," Finn said to him. "That's my chore usually."

"I didn't mind," Blaine said, shrugging.

Carole set a giant bowl of spaghetti in the middle of the table and smiled. "See? He doesn't mind. Blaine is a good kid. You two should invite him over more often."

"We probably will," Kurt answered honestly, looking at Blaine.

Blaine smiled.

It was nice to feel included.

The smell from the spaghetti wafted into his nose, though, and his stomach couldn't help but grumble loudly. His face flushed and he wrapped his arms around his middle, looking down. "I'm so sorry."

Carole just laughed. "It's okay, honey. Sit! We'll be eating in a few minutes. We're just waiting for Burt to get home."

Blaine nodded and looked to Kurt and Finn for guidance on where to sit. He was sure they had usual seats and didn't want to impose. Kurt smiled and sat down then, pulled the chair next to him out, looking up at Blaine. "You can sit here."

"Thanks," Blaine said.

Burt came home a few minutes later. Carole greeted him at the door with a kiss and Blaine overheard her telling him that they had a guest for dinner. When they both came into the kitchen, Burt smiled. "Oh, hey, kid."

"Hello, Mr. Hummel."

"It's Blaine, right?"

"Yes sir."

Burt nodded and sat down next to Blaine at the head of the table. "So tell me about yourself, Blaine."

Carole sat down on Burt's other side and Finn sat next to her. They all started digging in, grabbing pieces of garlic toast and exchanging turns getting their food.

"Um, there's not really much to tell. I'm not all that interesting."

"You moved here about a month ago, right?"

"A little more than a month, but yeah," Blaine said. More like 44 days, he thought to himself. He remembered the lie Finn practically gave to him and added, "My dad got a new job in the area so we had to move right away."

"What's he do?"

Blaine paused, looking down at his empty plate. He didn't want to be rude and try to get food while everyone else was, but he really was hungry and tired of answering personal questions.

"Dad, Blaine hasn't even gotten his food yet," Kurt said. He looked at Blaine and smiled. "Sorry. My dad's nosy. Go ahead and get your food."

Blaine half-smiled, looking between Kurt and Burt to make sure it was okay. They both gestured to the big, now half-empty, bowl of spaghetti in the middle of the table. He used the big spoon with the spikes around the edges and grabbed some spaghetti, dropping it onto his plate. He only hesitated for a second before getting a second spoonful.

"I'm not nosy, just curious," Burt said.

Blaine kept his head down and focused on the food. He'd have to control himself and not act like this was the first full, real meal he'd had in over a month. The school meals were fine, but they never fed him enough and he always left the cafeteria feeling that same emptiness in his stomach that he'd felt since he left.

He dug his fork in and swirled a few noodles on it, putting it in his mouth slowly. Finn started talking to his mom about something, so Blaine tuned out and focused on his food, trying to eat it at a regular pace. He glanced up a few times, trying to remain in the conversation, and noticed Kurt was staring at him.

"What?"

Kurt shook his head and smiled. "You just eat weird."

"Is that bad?" Blaine asked, frowning.

"No, no! It's a good weird. It's, um…it's kind of cute."

"Oh." Blaine blushed. "Thanks."

He didn't want to think about how it was cute that he ate like he was trying to hide the fact that he was starving. It was a cute thing to say and Kurt was cute and Blaine liked him.

But Blaine wasn't supposed to like him. He wasn't supposed to get attached to anyone. So he cleared his throat and sat up a little, trying to eat a little more normally. Now that he'd gotten food in his stomach it would be easier to eat at a normal pace.

After dinner, Blaine followed Kurt's lead and rinsed out his dishes, putting them in the dishwasher before heading into the living room and settling on the couch. Kurt grabbed a controller from the coffee table and handed it to Blaine, then grabbed one for himself.

"Um, so, I think I have it all set up, but I'm not really sure," Kurt said, turning on the TV.

"Yeah, this is good."

They set up the game with characters and location and began, Blaine giving Kurt instructions on what to do and how to play and Kurt listening, kind of doing it. He wasn't too bad, but it was obvious he'd never played before. He had trouble with the joysticks and controlling the camera view and walking at the same time, but he got the hang of it after a while.

They failed and lost the game miserably several times. Kurt died so many times Blaine lost count.

Kurt finally dropped the controller, pausing the game, and covered his hands. "This is so embarrassing. I've never failed so miserably at something in my life."

"It's okay," Blaine said. "You just started. You'll get better."

"Not by this weekend."

"Sure you will. I can come over more, if that's alright."

Kurt looked up at him. "I don't want you to get sick of me."

Blaine shrugged and smiled. "I don't really think that's possible. You're fun to spend time with. And it's a lot better than sitting alone in my—room. My room."

Kurt tilted his head and smiled sadly. "You really don't have any other friends, do you?"

"Not really," Blaine admitted. "I've been trying. I joined a bunch of clubs. None of the groups have really been that nice to me. Until now, I mean. With you and Finn and glee club."

"Well then, yes. You should definitely come over tomorrow too. I'd really appreciate it. I _so _don't want to embarrass myself in front of those guys from glee. They'll never let me live it down."

"Don't worry. By this weekend, you'll be ready to kick all of their asses."

Blaine himself wasn't even that good at the game, but if he got to spend time with Kurt in a heated home with food and clean, private bathrooms, he'd try his best.

… … …

The week passed quickly. Blaine performed his number in glee club with Finn and everyone loved it. Some of the girls came up to him afterwards and asked him if they'd do duet numbers with them sometime, to which he tentatively agreed. He probably wouldn't in reality, but he couldn't tell them no outright. It would've been rude.

He went over to Kurt's house after school every day to help teach him how to play the video games they'd be playing that weekend, which was fun. Blaine liked spending time with Kurt. While they played the game, they talked about things they both enjoyed, like music and theatre and fashion.

"Is that what you've been sketching?" Blaine asked on Friday night. They were having a few last practice games before the rest of the boys came over.

Kurt ducked his head, eyes on the screen, pressing a bunch of buttons haphazardly on the controller. "I, uh—yeah. I design clothes. It's not really a big deal. It's more of a hobby, really."

"I'm sure they're great. I'd like to see them sometime, if you'd be okay with showing me."

"I could do that," Kurt said, glancing over and smiling at him.

The door slammed open and the house was suddenly _filled _with noise. Finn, Puck, Sam, Artie, and Mike all came in, shouting over each other.

Blaine paused the game and looked at Kurt. "Are you ready?"

Kurt smiled. "Yeah, I think so. I've had a pretty good teacher."

Blaine blushed and glanced away before looking back up at Kurt, smiling at him.

"Whoa, hey, we interrupting something?" Puck asked, standing in the archway. "I mean, we can always come back."

"You're not interrupting anything," Blaine said, standing up and facing him. "It's cool."

"Oh. Lame."

Puck came into the room and sat down where Blaine had been sitting, so Blaine sat in the middle, closer to Kurt. They exchanged a shy smile again before the others came into the room. Artie rolled next to the couch to sit next to Puck, Finn sat in Burt's armchair, and Mike and Sam sat on the floor in front of the couch.

"You guys started without us? Not cool, bros," Sam said.

"It was just practice," Kurt told him.

"Yeah, Kurt needed all the extra practice he could get. Blaine's been over here every night this week," Finn said.

Blaine ducked his head when everyone looked at him. "Um, I was just helping him out. Trying to make it a fair game, you know?"

"Yeah, right," Puck said, grinning. He elbowed Blaine in the ribs. "Just bros helping bros, huh?"

"Exactly," Blaine said, glancing over at Kurt.

Kurt was looking away and Blaine wasn't sure if he'd accidentally said the wrong thing.

"So, are we gonna tease Kurt and Blaine all night or are we gonna actually play?" Mike asked.

"Why can't we do both?" Puck said.

"Alright, lay off my brother, guys. And Blaine. Let's just play," Finn said.

Finn, Puck, Artie, and Mike were the first to go. They grabbed controllers and started up a game. Blaine alternated between watching them and watching Kurt, who still looked vaguely uncomfortable. A little while into the game, Blaine nudged Kurt.

"Um, I forgot where the cups are. Will you show me? I'm kind of thirsty."

Kurt nodded. "Sure, yeah."

They both stood up to go to the kitchen. Even in the midst of the game, Puck glanced up at them and said, "Subtle."

"Spell subtle, Puck," Kurt said flippantly.

Puck huffed and didn't answer.

In the kitchen, Kurt opened a cabinet and pulled down a cup. "Here you go. Did you want water or milk or soda or…?"

"Did I say something wrong?" Blaine asked.

Kurt frowned. "What?"

"Earlier, when the guys were teasing us. You just looked so…uncomfortable. So I'm just wondering if I said something wrong."

"No, not exactly." Kurt sighed and looked away.

Blaine tilted his head, trying to meet Kurt's eyes. "Really? Because it kind of seems like I did or said something wrong."

"No, it's not that, it's just…" Kurt shrugged. "It's stupid. And embarrassing."

"What? You can tell me."

Kurt glanced up at him. "I kind of like you? And I kind of thought you liked me too, but if you don't—"

"It's not that, Kurt," Blaine said immediately. He smiled and took a step forward. "It's not that I don't like you. It's just that…my life is way too complicated right now to think about dragging another person into it."

"You mean with the move and everything? Because I thought now that you were making some friends, you were doing a little better here."

"It's…a lot more complicated than that," Blaine said slowly. He offered Kurt a small smile. "Look, if I were in a different situation right now, I'd love to date you. You're amazing, Kurt. What I've gotten to know about you this week has been really great and I'd love to get to know you better, but as friends. It can't be any more than that. I'm sorry."

Kurt nodded. "That's okay. It's better than nothing, right?"

"I hope so," Blaine said. They smiled at each other until Blaine grabbed the cup and looked away. "So, um, I actually was thirsty, but I'll just get some water and meet you back in there."

"Okay."

Blaine filled his glass of water almost to the top and drank the whole thing before refilling it and drinking some more. He'd had to use the last of his money on gas—which was already running low again—so he didn't have any more money for food or water for the weekends. He was glad he'd have tonight guaranteed at least.

The tournament was fun. Blaine got the chance to bond with the guys and make friends with all of them. They got pizza about an hour into the tournament and Blaine lost count, but he was pretty sure he ate a whole pizza by himself. Everyone was too into the game to notice, though, so he didn't feel bad about it.

Kurt wasn't that bad at the games, either. He actually ended up beating Artie and Sam, much to their dismay.

Around midnight, Blaine was fighting back a yawn every minute. In his car, he usually went to sleep around ten. It was way past his bedtime, but he didn't know how to say it without sounding lame.

Kurt caught on, nudging him and saying quietly, "If you're getting tired, you can go to sleep."

"I don't want to seem lame," Blaine admitted.

"I doubt they'd mind."

"I don't really know where to sleep, honestly. Finn never specified sleeping arrangements."

"They all usually pass out where they are, on the couch and the floor. I have an air mattress I can set up in my room for you, though, if you want."

"You wouldn't mind?"

Kurt shrugged. "I'm kind of tired too. Come on."

They both stood up again, going to leave the room.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Finn asked.

"We're both pretty tired so we're going to sleep," Kurt answered.

"Aw, dude, you're ditching the game?" Finn said, looking at Blaine.

Blaine smiled. "Sorry, Finn. You guys were beating me anyway."

"Oh, let them go make out. That's more opportunity for us to play," Puck said.

Blaine blushed and glanced over at Kurt, who had also turned a warm shade of pink. "It's not like that, but thanks."

"Sure it's not."

"Why are you so invested in two guys kissing? Is that some hidden desire of yours you want to live vicariously through us?"

Puck kept his attention on the game but said, "I don't even know what that means, but I can assure you I am totally straight. In fact, every girl at school can assure you of that."

"Whatever you say," Kurt sing-songed. He flashed a small smile at Blaine and nodded toward the stairs. "Come on."

They went upstairs together, Kurt leading the way into his room. Blaine had never actually been inside of it, just had the opportunity to glance through the door, but it was nice. Very clean, compared to Finn's. And so tastefully decorated. It was very…Kurt.

"I like your room," Blaine said.

Kurt smiled. "Thanks." He went in the closet and came out holding a deflated air mattress. "Um, I can set this up for you if you want to go get ready for bed."

"Is it okay if I use your shower?"

"Of course. It's just next door. There are clean towels in the cupboard above the toilet."

"Thank you," Blaine said, trying to contain his excitement.

He grabbed the clothes he'd brought from his backpack and went next door to the bathroom. It took him a minute to figure out their shower knobs, but once he did and he had a good temperature going, he stripped down and stepped inside.

And _oh _how he'd missed the comfort of a private shower. He was lucky to be able to use the showers at school, sure, but this was so much better. For a while he just stood under the spray, allowing himself the time to enjoy the warm water and not worry about who might walk in. He had the time to himself and he was going to bask in it for as long as he could. He took his time lathering his hair in Kurt's shampoo, giving himself a scalp massage and inhaling the scent of it. It smelled like Kurt. So did the body wash he poured onto a washcloth and cleaned his body with. And he actually had time to really clean and scrub his body down for once. It was wonderful.

Finally, reluctantly, he forced himself to turn off the water and step out of the shower. He'd been in there long enough and Kurt might get suspicious if he stayed a minute more. He dried himself off with a soft towel instead of his dirty t-shirt, which was _amazing, _and then slipped on the clean underwear and pajamas—the last of his clean clothes, as he didn't have any more money for the Laundromat.

Blaine tried to push away those thoughts. He knew that now that he'd run out of money, things would be a lot harder. No more food or water, no more clean laundry, no more gas to drive around. Eventually, he'd be stranded in a permanent spot. He'd have to keep that in mind and not drive too far from the school for whenever he'd have to start walking there and back. Maybe he could stuff some food in his pockets at school, too, to save up for the weekends. And store up some water. He'd figure something out, though. He had to. He didn't have a choice.

He knocked on Kurt's door and opened it, stepping back into the room. Kurt had set up the air mattress on the floor beside his bed, complete with sheets and a comforter and a pillow. It looked absolutely divine.

"Hey. Have a nice shower?" Kurt asked, sitting at his vanity and moisturizing his face.

"Yeah, I did. Thank you."

Kurt glanced to the air mattress. "I know it's not much, but—"

"No, it's perfect. It's wonderful, really. Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled. "You're welcome."

Blaine stood awkwardly by the door, holding his dirty clothes. Kurt turned back to the mirror, so Blaine stuffed his dirty clothes into his backpack and then climbed onto the air mattress, crawling under the covers. He sighed in contentment as he wiggled into a comfortable position, laying his head on the pillow. He hadn't had a pillow since he'd left. He'd been sleeping on a bundled up sweatshirt.

"It's not too uncomfortable, is it?" Kurt asked, standing up from the vanity and going across the room.

"No, not at all. It's very comfortable."

"Good." Kurt turned off the lights then walked over to his bed. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Kurt. Thanks again."

"Of course."

Blaine wished Kurt could understand how much this meant to him, how wonderful a pizza and a hot shower and an air mattress really was. Kurt didn't know, couldn't know. All he thought was that Blaine was being polite. He had no idea that this was the nicest Blaine had lived in almost two months.

He didn't want to think about what he'd be going back to when he left Kurt's house. He pushed those thoughts away, because right now, he just wanted to enjoy the warmth and cleanliness and comfort Kurt had given to him.

… … …

When he left the next day in the early afternoon, still not wanting to overstay his welcome, he left with a full belly and a warm body. He'd had a good night's rest and a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon from Carole. The boys in the living room were still asleep, and Blaine thought it funny that even though he'd originally come here to spend time with Finn, he'd now become good friends with Kurt.

He drove to a park close to the high school since his gas gauge needle was on the E and parked towards the back. Then he crawled into the backseat and got started on homework.

His stomach growled only a few hours later. He'd gotten used to eating well with the Hudsons and Hummels, and now his stomach was demanding more, more, more.

Blaine sighed. He searched through the things in his front seat, what he considered to be his kitchen, but found nothing to eat. He decided to ignore his stomach and continue working on homework, even though he'd nearly completed it all.

A couple hours later, he was empty and aching and his head hurt and he just wanted _food _but he didn't have any and he didn't have money to get any more. It was starting to get kind of dark, anyway, and he supposed he could go to sleep. That's what he usually did when he was too hungry to function.

Laying down on his backseat with the seatbelt buckles digging into his back and not enough room to stretch his legs, Blaine regretted staying the night at Kurt's house. He'd gotten used to the comfort from living in a real house again just from one night and he hated himself for it. For the first time, he felt ungrateful for what he had. He hated living in his car. He almost wanted to go back home, even though he knew what would happen if he did. But he didn't know how much longer he could live like this.

Things could be worse, he reminded himself, but it didn't have the same effect it usually did. Yeah, things could be worse, but they could be a hell of a lot better.

… … …

School was a lot easier now that Blaine had friends. They were able to distract him during the day from thoughts of what would happen after the school day ended. No food, no water. Blaine had to brush his teeth exclusively at school now. His car wouldn't leave the lot on Monday afternoon, officially out of gas, so he was permanently stranded there. Which, okay, it could be worse. At least he was stranded _at _school so he wouldn't have to walk too far to get there. Plus he could keep an eye on his things easily.

Thanksgiving approached the next week, and the school gave them all Thursday and Friday off. Blaine hated it, because it meant that he was starving and dehydrated from Wednesday evening to Monday morning.

He survived it, somehow. He always figured something out. He'd had to walk to a gas station and steal a bag of chips and a water bottle. It wasn't his best moment and he felt so guilty about it that when he got back to his car at school, he'd almost lost his appetite. Almost. The overwhelming starvation took over, though, and he devoured the small bag of chips in less than two minutes. He was more careful with the water, knowing he'd need that to sustain him for longer.

The worst part of it all was when he got back to school on Monday and Kurt asked him about his Thanksgiving break.

"Did you have a big dinner with your family?" Kurt asked, walking up to him at his locker.

Blaine forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, of course. Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, the whole works. It was great."

"Good! We did the same at my house. Finn ate half of it in, like, a nano-second, but no one's really shocked by that."

"Not really," Blaine agreed.

God, what he would've given to have been invited over for that. All that _food_. He couldn't impose, though, not on a family holiday. It would've been rude.

A heavy hand slapped against his back and Blaine shrank against the row of lockers, covering his head. He crouched as best he could to hide his stomach, too, but it never worked. He almost always ended up with bruises on his ribcage. It was better than a messed up face, though. At least no one could see his stomach.

Silence fell over them. Blaine looked up tentatively, dropping his arms a little, and came back to reality to find Kurt and Finn staring at him.

"Uh…sorry, dude. Didn't mean to scare you," Finn said.

Kurt just stared at him, eyes wide.

Blaine didn't know what to do. There was nothing he _could _do. How could he explain this without giving away everything about himself? How had he been so _stupid_? He almost had his impulses under control. He'd stopped flinching at locker slams in the hallways now and he was almost ready for casual touching and hugs, if the moment ever came that Kurt would hug him. And here he was, ruining everything with his _stupid _paranoia.

"I should go to class," Blaine rushed out, closing his locker and running away.

Kurt called after him, but he didn't slow down. He turned corner after corner, making sure to lose Kurt in case he was following him, and then ducked into a boys' bathroom. He headed into one of the stalls and hid until the bell rang.

He'd have to pull back now. That was the only option. No more friends. He couldn't risk it. It seemed like a good idea at first, and it felt nice to be friends with Kurt, but Blaine had lost sight of the bigger picture somewhere along the way. He lost sight of the fact that he was living out of his car and showering at school and there was no place for a person like him in a person like Kurt's life. Not when Kurt's life was so picture perfect, and Blaine's life was a disaster.

A total and complete disaster.

But, hey, things could be worse. Right?

Blaine leaned his head against the chalkboard and closed his eyes.

… … …

December was freezing, the cold biting and unforgiving. Blaine shivered all through the nights under his blanket, once considered "warm" but now felt more like a flimsy sheet.

He'd been avoiding Kurt and Finn like the plague. Really, he'd been avoiding glee club altogether. What used to seem like an opportunity for home now felt like an opportunity for disaster. So he quit the club without notice and filled that time with a magic club. The safe haven Blaine had thought he'd found with the glee club, with Kurt and Finn, was gone. He was back to his lonely life walking the halls alone, no smiles or second glances thrown his way.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Every time Kurt or Finn spotted him, they headed straight for him, looking like they wanted to talk, but Blaine always turned the corner and went in the opposite direction. He was often late to classes, now, but he didn't think that mattered so much, really. Not when everyone already stared at him when he entered a room.

It was nearing Christmas now, and everyone was ready for the break from school, but Blaine was terrified. Thanksgiving break had been bad enough and that was only two extra days tacked onto the weekend. But _two weeks_? There was no way he was going to survive. He'd either have to steal more or beg on the streets, and neither option felt viable to him.

He was screwed. And he knew it. And he was so starving lately that he was getting desperate. His bones were starting to stick out even more so now, visible through his clothes. He had to wear a few layers, not just for warmth but for cover.

The Monday before Christmas Break, Blaine was so exhausted and starved that he wasn't thinking straight. He didn't see Kurt coming at him in the hall until it was too late and Kurt was standing right in front of him.

"Where have you been?" Kurt asked. His face and voice were hard.

"Um, it's kind of hard to explain," Blaine said.

"I pride myself on being a pretty intelligent individual, Blaine. You can explain it to me. I'll understand."

Blaine ran a hand through his hair, rubbing it back down his face and groaning. "Um…"

"Is this because I said I liked you? Because I thought we'd worked that out, like, a while ago. We don't have to be anything but friends."

"I know. It's not about that."

"Were you bullied? Is that why you cowered away from Finn? Because I've been bullied too, Blaine, I understand. You don't have to be ashamed of that. It's okay."

"It's not that either. Well, not really."

"Then what is it?"

"It…it's kind of serious."

Kurt's face fell. He dropped the hard expression and frowned. "Blaine, what's wrong?"

"I…" Blaine paused, taking a deep breath. Kurt was clearly not going to back down, but maybe that was for the best. There was no way Blaine could keep going on like this. And if he had to admit it to anyone, Kurt was a good person to admit it to. "I… I need a place to stay… For winter break."

Kurt's frown deepened. "Are your parents going on vacation?"

Blaine sighed and shook his head.

"Oh. Then are they—"

"I don't live with my parents, Kurt."

Kurt paused. "Then where do you live?"

"Look, I don't—I can't explain it. I just—I just need somewhere to stay. Okay?"

"Where are you living now?" Kurt persisted. Blaine dodged his gaze, staring at his shoelaces. "Blaine, where are you living right now?"

"My car," Blaine muttered.

He'd hoped that Kurt wouldn't hear him, but Kurt's sharp gasp was a clear indication that he did. "Is this why you've been avoiding me? And everyone else?"

Blaine nodded, looking back up at him. "I'm ashamed of it. And I didn't want you to feel sorry for me. But I… I've run out of resources."

Kurt paused. "How long have you been living out of your car?"

"Please don't make me answer that," Blaine said, shutting his eyes.

"Okay," Kurt said softly. "Okay. Um, I think you should come with me to my house. You can stay there. Okay?"

"Yeah. Please."

When Blaine opened his eyes, Kurt was nodding and smiling kindly. "Yeah. You can stay with us. My dad won't mind. We can go there now, if you want."

"What about glee practice?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "The day I'm needed in glee practice is the day hell freezes over. Let's go."

So Blaine followed Kurt outside, walking behind him until Kurt came to a halt once they'd stepped outside.

"Where's your car?" Kurt asked.

Blaine looked down. "Um, it's here. I'm out of gas and I can't afford more."

"Blaine, if you can't afford gas, how do you eat outside of school?"

Blaine kept his eyes focused on the ground.

Kurt sighed. "Okay. Um, do you want to grab some stuff from your car before we go, then?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna need my clothes and stuff."

Blaine led the way to his car, pausing before unlocking it. This was humiliating, having to open up to someone like this and show them his pitiful life, even if it was Kurt. He went through his closet in the trunk, grabbing the cleanest of his dirty clothes and wrapping them in his blanket to make for easy carrying. He tossed in his toothbrush and toothpaste and bar of soap.

Then he glanced back at Kurt. "This is, uh… This is all I have."

Kurt's eyes were full of pity and Blaine _hated _that. "That's okay. You should grab all of your clothes, so you can wash them. If you need to, that is."

"I do," Blaine said, focusing on adding the rest of his clothes.

He closed up his car and carried his blanket of supplies wordlessly to Kurt's car. Kurt opened the door for him and Blaine climbed in, keeping his bundle close to him. Kurt closed his door and went around to the other side, getting in. He started the car and drove without another word, only sparing a couple of glances to Blaine, which Blaine appreciated.

This was what he'd been dreading all along. The moment when someone would find out. The moment when he'd start getting the pity eyes. When they'd see him for what he really was—worthless—and they'd realize there was a _reason _he was living out of his car and there was a _reason _he was alone.

Kurt didn't seem to be having that moment, though. He put the pity eyes away fairly quickly and did his best to remain neutral, which Blaine appreciated.

When they pulled up in front of Kurt's house, Blaine grabbed his things and got out, following Kurt to the front door. No one was home when they got in, but Kurt gestured towards the stairs.

"You can put your stuff in my room if you want."

Blaine fidgeted. "Alright. Um, can I—can I wash my clothes?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll show you to the laundry room." Kurt led him to the washer and dryer and showed him where the detergent was, then left him alone. "I'll be in the living room."

"Okay. Thanks."

Blaine dropped his clothes in and poured the detergent, then shut the lid and started it up. All his clothes fit in one load.

He headed back into the living room to find Kurt sitting with his legs crossed on the couch, the TV on low volume and a sketchpad in his lap. He looked up when Blaine came in.

"Thanks," Blaine said. "Again."

"It's no problem," Kurt told him. He patted the spot next to him on the couch.

Blaine sat down. "I, uh… I don't really know what to say."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. My dad will probably want some sort of explanation, but you don't have to say anything specific if you don't want to. He has been wondering where you've been, though. He likes you."

"I'm glad," Blaine said. "Your dad is…he's really cool. So is Carole."

"Yeah, Carole's great too." Kurt paused, glancing over at Blaine. "Can I just ask one question?"

"Okay," Blaine said slowly.

"Did you… Were you kicked out? Or did you run away?"

"I ran away."

"Oh." A long pause. "Does it have to do with why Finn startled you so bad in the hallway? Your reaction to him slapping your back?"

Blaine looked over at Kurt, hesitating. "You said one question."

That was answer enough for Kurt. He nodded and smiled. "You're right. Sorry."

They sat in quiet for a long time. Blaine focused on the television, not really watching, as Kurt sketched. Every now and then, Blaine would glance over at the sketches, in awe every time. Kurt had made it sound like such a small thing, but he truly had a gift at designing clothes. The sketches were breathtaking.

Kurt caught him looking once and shied away, turning his sketchpad so Blaine couldn't see it. "Sneak."

"I know, sorry. I couldn't help it. They're really good, Kurt."

"Thank you," Kurt said, smiling. He laid his sketchpad back down on his lap and appraised the sketch. "I do like this one."

"It's very nice."

"I appreciate you saying so."

The front door opened then, and Blaine tensed, not quite ready to face the music with Burt. The heavy footsteps told him it was probably Finn, and he was right. Finn appeared in the archway of the living room, eyes landing on Blaine.

"Oh, hey, dude! Where've you been?"

"Just, you know, around."

"You quit glee club."

"Yeah, my parents thought I was doing too many things," Blaine lied.

"Oh. That sucks. I kept trying to catch up with you in the hallway, though."

"Really? I didn't ever see you. They got on me for my grades, too, so I've been really focused on classes."

"Your parents sound really lame. No offense."

Blaine tensed. "Yeah, they're—they're really lame."

"You guys wanna order a pizza?"

"Your mom is gonna be home soon," Kurt told him. "She texted me a little while ago. She said she's making mashed potatoes and beef gravy and green beans."

"So? That's gonna take forever."

"Finn, we both know your mom is going to be mad if she comes home to an empty pizza box so close to dinner."

Finn sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'll just find something in the pantry." He walked away.

Kurt turned to Blaine. "Do you want something before dinner?"

"No, that's okay. I can wait."

"Are you sure?" Kurt's eyes scanned his body. "You must be hungry…"

"I'm used to it. I'll just wait until dinner. I don't want to disrespect your step-mom."

"Okay."

Carole came home about thirty minutes later, dressed in nurse scrubs and carrying several bags of groceries. She called to the house, "Boys! Help bring in the groceries!" She stopped at the archway and looked into the living room. "Oh, hi, Blaine! It's been a while since you've been here."

"Yeah," Blaine said. He stood up with Kurt. "I'll help bring in the groceries."

They brought them in and Blaine watched Kurt and Finn put them away, not wanting to mess up the system their family already had in place.

Burt came home as they put the last of the groceries away. "Hey, guys. Haven't seen you in a while, Blaine."

Blaine smiled. "Yep. Been busy."

"Glad to have you back."

Kurt met Blaine's eyes and said, "Actually, Dad, can I talk to you for a second?"

"'Bout what?"

"It's kind of private."

Burt gave him a strange look. "Alright. Come on."

Kurt placed a hand on Blaine's arm as he passed. "It's going to be okay. I'll have to tell my dad the truth. Is that okay with you?"

Blaine bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah. I don't want you to lie to your dad."

"Okay."

Blaine sat down at the kitchen table while he waited. Finn had disappeared back upstairs and Carole was starting on dinner. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Carole smiled. "You're sweet, but I think I've got it. Thanks, though, hon."

"Of course."

He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited, legs fidgeting. He'd never been so nervous in his life. He knew he shouldn't be. Kurt and his dad and his whole family were all understanding and accepting people. They were kind and there was no reason for Blaine to be scared. But he couldn't help it. What if Burt turned him back out on the streets? What if Blaine had to stay in his car for two weeks? No food, no water, no showers, no clean clothes.

He didn't even want to think about it. No, he had to trust that this family was as kind as they seemed.

Kurt came back in, looking uncomfortable. "Um, my dad wants to talk to you."

"Okay," Blaine said, sighing. He stood up and followed Kurt into the living room.

Kurt turned to him and whispered, "Like I said, you don't have to say anything you're not comfortable with, okay?"

Blaine nodded and went into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to the armchair where Burt was sitting. "Hello, Mr. Hummel."

Burt sat forward in the chair and looked at him. "Kurt says you need a place to stay for winter break."

"Yeah."

"He also says you live in your car."

Blaine hesitated before nodding again. "Yes, sir."

Burt tilted his head a little. "Blaine, you can trust me. I need you to know that. You can tell me anything, kid, and I promise it'll be okay."

"Okay."

"Now, I just want to know what your situation is. Where are your parents?"

"In Westerville," Blaine said. He rubbed his palms together in his lap, staring down at them.

"How'd you end up here?"

"I left."

"Do they know you're gone?"

"Yeah."

"And they haven't come after you?"

Blaine shook his head. "No." Thank God, he added in his head.

Burt took in a deep breath, then blew it out. "Blaine, do I need to call child protective services?"

Blaine's head shot up, eyes wide. "Please don't. I don't—I don't want them to find me."

His heart raced in his chest, his pulse quickening. That was his worst fear, was that his parents would find him. If Burt called the government, if he alerted Blaine's parents to where he was, it was all over. Blaine was screwed. He'd never be able to leave again.

Burt exchanged a look with Kurt then turned back to Blaine. "Look, if they did something to you, you can tell me."

"No, sir," Blaine said, shaking his head.

"Blaine, you don't have to lie."

"I can't…" Blaine trailed off, biting his lip. "I don't want to talk about it. It's… My parents aren't good people. And they…" His eyes filled with tears and he _hated _himself for it. He swore when he left that he wouldn't shed a single tear for his parents, and here he was on the verge of bawling his eyes out. "They're just really, really not good people. And I can't go back there. I'd rather starve and freeze to death in my car than go back there."

"You're not going to starve or freeze to death in your car," Burt said. "You can stay here, Blaine. As long as you need, not just for the break. I won't have you living in your car anymore, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Thank you, sir. I'd really appreciate that."

"Can we go to my room until dinner?" Kurt asked.

"Sure. Thanks for talking to me, Blaine."

"Yes, sir."

Blaine stood and followed Kurt upstairs. Kurt sat on his bed and patted the spot next to him, smiling nervously. Blaine sat down, biting his lip hard to keep himself from crying.

"It's okay," Kurt said quietly. "You can cry."

And just like that, he did. It was like all Blaine needed was for someone to tell him it was okay and he was in tears, sobbing into his hands. Kurt rubbed his back and let him cry. Blaine cried not just for his shitty parents, but for the whole situation. He cried because he somehow managed to live out of his car for almost three months. He cried because Kurt was kind and his dad was even kinder. He cried because there were good parents out there, so why did he get the abusive ones? He cried because for the first time in his life, he had a safe place to stay.

After a while, Blaine cried himself out. He sat up and wiped his eyes, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Kurt told him. "I'm so sorry, Blaine. About your parents and your whole situation. I wish I would've noticed sooner so I could've helped you sooner. What did you do over Thanksgiving break?"

"I stole a bag of chips and a water bottle from a gas station. I felt so _bad _about it but I was so damn _hungry_."

"Oh, Blaine. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Blaine said, shrugging. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"If I had known you were in this situation—"

"But you didn't, and that was the point. You don't have to apologize for not knowing when I did what I could to hide it."

"This is what you meant, isn't it? When you said your life is too complicated to bring someone else into it? This is the reason you said we can't be anything more than friends and why you stopped talking to all of us."

"Yeah. I didn't want anyone to know. This is…really embarrassing, Kurt. I shower at the school and I only eat the meals they provide for me. I drive around and park in random places to sleep. Or, I used to. Until I ran out of gas. I've been at the school permanently for a while."

"You could've told me before. You could've stayed here before."

Blaine shrugged. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

Kurt smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad about that, don't get me wrong. I just wish I could've helped you sooner."

"It's okay."

"Your parents… They abused you, didn't they?"

Blaine paused. "Yes. They did. That's why I left."

"You could've told my dad, you know."

"I know, but I don't want to talk about it, and I knew he'd want to. Your dad would want to go to the authorities and it's just not worth it. In a year I'll be eighteen and then I won't even need them anyway. It's not going to matter."

"It matters to me," Kurt said. He placed a hand on Blaine's knee. "You matter to me."

Blaine smiled. "Thank you, Kurt. For everything. I don't know… If you hadn't forced me to talk to you, I don't know what I would've done about winter break."

"Well now you don't have to worry about it. You're safe here, okay? As long as you need."

"I really can't thank you enough."

Kurt nudged their shoulders together and smiled. "You don't need to. I'm just glad you're here now, instead of out in a parking lot somewhere in your car."

"I am too," Blaine said.

They had a good meal that night, and afterward Kurt set up the air mattress for Blaine again. His clothes had dried in time for Blaine to take a shower before bed and step into clean clothes for the first time in weeks. It was _wonderful _feeling so clean. It felt like the first time he stayed here, warm and clean and comforted. Except now he could let himself enjoy it and not worry about the next day.

Burt said they'd go get his car and put gas in the tank to bring it to the house so Blaine could have all of his things, which he appreciated. Their family was being so kind and accommodating that Blaine almost wished he'd spoken up sooner.

It was okay, though. He was better now. He had a warm bed and a nice shower and a full meal and he could let himself enjoy it, get used to it, accept that as his life now. When he climbed under the covers that night, he didn't have to remind himself that things could be worse to make him grateful for what he had. No, what he had was incredible, and he was already _so _grateful without having to repeat any mantra in his head.

"Goodnight, Blaine," Kurt said in the dark.

Blaine smiled. "Goodnight, Kurt."

He drifted off easily that night. No bitter cold, no buckles digging into his back, no uncomfortable lump of a pillow. Blaine had a shelter, a real place to stay. He was safe for the first time in his life, and it was all because of Kurt.

Maybe he could re-think the whole just friends thing.


End file.
